Ryan "Lion" Diaz, challenger to Mike "The Hulk" Easton, has been diagnosed with parotitis, an infection that blocks the salivary glands causing swelling and pain, that will prevent him from competing at UWC 8: Judgment Day on May 22, UWC CEO Marcello Foran announced today.
"Ryan became ill shortly before or during his return to the States after spending that last two months training in Thailand for his fight with Mike Easton. Upon his return he visited the emergency room where he was diagnosed with infected salivary glands," said Foran.
"We were hopeful that he would recover in time to fight, but unfortunately that hasn't been the case. I know he's very disappointed, as we all are that he can't fight Mike this Saturday night. Both camps understand that these situations can occur and are simply out of anyone's control. We wish Ryan the best and hope he gets healthy soon."
The event still has a world-class lineup of nine fights led by the flyweight showdown between Greg Jackson MMA's high-flying John "The Magician" Dodson and undefeated Jesse "Mountain Man" Riggleman fighting out of MMA Institute.
Former Green Power Ranger actor-turned-MMA artist Jason "Fearless" Frank and top local 145-pound prospect Justin Hickey fighting out of Lloyd Irvin Mixed Martial Arts/Gold Medal Grappling will make their highly-anticipated UWC debuts. Popular UWC fighters returning to action are Lloyd Irvin teammates Timothy "The Good Soldier" Woods and Ron "Choir Boy" Stallings, plus unbeaten female fan favorite Iman "The Predator" Achhal.
Celebrity guests set to appear at the show are Kris "Savage" McCray and Jamie Yager, teammates from this season's The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series on Spike TV, as well as World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) superstars Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia.
For more information on UWC 8: Judgment Day including the full fight card, visit uwcmma.com. To purchase tickets for the event, head over to ticketmaster.com.
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